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He (curious George) also wanted to cover jumping breakfalls. I didn't play (back problems lately ). Sensei started him off low by holding the forward roll hand just above the mat and tugging back during the jump. He worked his way up to a standing position. I took over as hand-holder after a few rounds. In fear of getting hurt he was barreling out to the side, which was painful. He discovered that if you do it right it doesn't hurt.

Moral of the story:
Fear of pain causes actions that cause pain. No fear = no pain.

CLASS BEGINS
One of our "double testers" tested for 9th kyu, unexpectedly (on his part). He'll test for 8th kyu next week when his uke gets back from Vegas. He did very well. Just a few minor glitches, but nothing to worry about.

TECHNO-TOY
Now that we're out of testing mode, I've been trying to figure out how to take more detailed notes on techniques. The problem is timing. By the time I get home I'm not able to crawl into bed until about 11:30pm, if I'm lucky. My alarm goes off at 5:15am -- ugh. I need more sleep than that! That doesn't leave time for taking notes or making journal entries. Since I have class on Wednesday and Thursday, I have two days in a row like that. When Friday comes around, I get home about 6:30pm, but I usually don't get free time until Saturday afternoon. By then I've forgotten most of the details, and some of the techniques!

Norbert Sensei suggested I do what he does: use a voice recorder! John Sensei even said that he'd be willing to stay after class to help dictate the details. If I'm willing to make the effort, so is he! How cool is that?!? I bought a digital one from a friend at work (he wasn't using it) and put it to good use. My commutes will be more fruitful now. Even though I didn't get to make last Thursday's journal entry until Monday, check out the level of detail! I'm officially adding a TECHNIQUES section to end of my journals. It'll be a boring read, but I need to keep track of this info somewhere, and my journal seems to be the best place.

Chest grasp, reverse hand throw #1 (uke pulls) from 9th kyu test
Modified to same stance, cross wrist grasped.
When uke pulls, shuffle in (slightly) with an elbow power #1 to create a gap in their grip, grab their hand from underneath and release your wrist, back-hand punch to their face with the released hand, step wide while applying the reverse hand (wide and low) then finish the throw with the "hand sandwich" and a cross step.

Modified again to mirror image stance, one wrist grasped #2 (uke pushes)
When uke pushes, rotate your palm up and curl your fingers toward your shoulder to create a gap in their grip, grab their hand by reaching underneath with your free hand and gripping the meaty part of their thumb, release your grabbed hand by doing a circular "choo-choo" motion ending with a knife hand on the back of their hand then finish the throw by cutting down on the back of their hand with a cross step, don't let go.

Modified again with a different (Jiu-Jitsu-ish) ending
When uke pushes, rotate your palm up and curl your fingers toward your shoulder to create a gap in their grip, grab their hand by reaching underneath with your free hand and gripping the meaty part of their thumb, release your grabbed hand by doing a circular "choo-choo" motion, but instead of using a knife hand, grab their forearm just above the wrist, then shuffle forward and thrust their elbow into their solar plexus (repeat as needed), changing to an occasional pull to loosen them up (change their balance) if necessary. If you bend their wrist out of line with their forearm they will twist too far and you won't have as good a target (ribs this time) for their elbow to hit.

Modified again with both wrists grasped (again, Jiu-Jitsu-ish)
Same general opening. When uke pushes, rotate either your palm up and curl your fingers toward your shoulder to create a gap in their grip, grab their hand by reaching underneath with your free hand and gripping the meaty part of their thumb, release your grabbed hand by twisting their thumb toward the floor, reach under and grab their other hand the same way, twisting that thumb toward the floor, loosen them up with a snap kick or by pushing both elbows into their ribs, cross their arms while keeping their thumbs down, their head will come down, knee them in the face or back up and lay them out on the mat, SLOWLY (think: armless ukemi). VERY uncomfortable.

AIKI-THINKIN'
1. I turned 40 on Saturday the 9th. I'm too young to feel this old!
2. I like my digital voice recorder!
3. I really like my Sensei!